Cold Day In Hell (18 page)

The El Conquistador was a midlevel motel, nice and clean, but it didn't fall into the five-star category. She kept her nerves under control, and checking in went exactly as she'd expected. Management didn't care who stayed there as long as they didn't cause trouble and paid the bill. She moved the car around to the side of the building and parked.

"Here we are, boys. Home awaits."  

The heat on her skin told her that Ty's gaze tracked her movements while they unloaded the bags. She gave Marcus a key, turned, and opened the door to her room. Ty followed her inside, carrying her small case.

He set down the bags and turned to face her. His eyes darkened. The fact the room had one bed had apparently captured his thoughts.

Ana knocked on the door to the adjoining room, glanced over her shoulder, and announced, "We have to pretend to be married, but that's out in public. It doesn't include sleeping together. You can share with Marcus. He has two beds."

She smiled at Marcus, who stood in the doorway wearing an amused look. Ty's eyes darkened. A shiver of cold raced up her back. Had he read her mind? He'd ruin everything if he'd guessed her plan. Ana hated that the trust they'd established during their time in the jungle had disappeared. The situation was different now, and the common goal they'd shared was gone. She trusted him with her life, but he hadn't promised to try to rescue her parents. 

She'd wait until he and Marcus went to sleep. Sneaking out would avoid a nasty confrontation with Ty. His hard head prevented him from accepting that she'd get more accomplished alone.

He sighed that disgusted sound and picked up his bag. "The door stays open."

"The door is closed." She stood her ground, not flinching at his scowl. She had to find a way out, and it wouldn't work if she gave in to his demand. "At least while I shower. Before I do, I'm calling somebody who delivers. If you want me to order enough for all three of us, say so now."

"Order for four, I'm starving," Marcus said. "We can plan over food."

"You do think better on a full stomach." A smile crept onto Ty's face.

His expression shifted. The tension seemed to leave his shoulders, which was good, because the suspicion in his eyes worried her. Sneaking out would be easier if he were relaxed instead of pissed off.

Ana quickly grabbed clean clothes and started toward the bathroom. When she glanced back, Ty still stood in the doorway. "And, no, I don't need my back washed."

He took a step toward her, sending her heart skipping around inside her chest. "That's twice you've turned down my offer. You're gonna give me a complex."

"I think not," she said. "Now step back and shut the door."

****

Ty turned to find Marcus wearing a chicken-shit grin. "Don't start."

"That's an interesting dynamic you two have going. Sort of a push-pull. Which one is gonna grow balls and admit something's going on between you two?"

"Haven't you used up your daily word allotment?"

"I talk when I have something to say." Marcus opened the small case, pulled out a map, and spread it across the foot of the bed. "She likes you. If you can't see that, you're fuckin' blind. Show me where Ortega's compound was in relation to Choachi before you blew it up."

This was their first chance since arriving to actually talk and plan. Details were important, so Ty went over the entire mission with Marcus. Describing Ana's rescue and the unrelenting heat was simple enough. But talking about the massacres dredged up memories that ignited a hate he hadn't felt since his sister's death.   

He got lost in his anger, reliving the attack on the tribesmen at the waterfall. That anger turned to guilt when he told of Santiago and his people. They were good people, warm, and honest. Their kindness to him got them slaughtered.

Ty wanted to personally snap Ortega's neck. He wanted to feel the crunch as bones broke. He imagined Santiago's approval.

"You know better than to wallow in guilt. Some things you can't control. That shit can be deadly." Marcus's tone was somber.

A knock on the door pulled Ty back to the present. He checked the peephole. "Looks to be the food delivery."

Marcus moved out of sight, drew his pistol, and gave Ty the go-ahead sign.

Ty paid the kid and laughed at the irony. It had been over a bucket of chicken that after ten years, he, Marcus, and Nate had gotten back together to help Kay. After they'd rescued her, the company had been formed. It had been a new beginning for them, a chance to wipe out the past and help people. So far, it hadn't worked that way for Ty. People who helped him died.

"You have to be extra sharp on this op." Positive his stomach would reject food, he handed the sacks to Marcus.

"Nothing less. Are you worried?"

"Just be careful. I don't want to tell Nate you're coming home in a body bag."

Marcus snorted. "Neither do I." He knocked on Ana's door. "Let's eat."

"Be right there," she called out.

Ty glanced at his watch. Just how long did it take her to shower? They were staying in and eating fried chicken. Wouldn't she throw on jeans and a shirt? Fuck. He knew it, should've listened to the rumble in his belly.

"You better hurry," Ty called through the closed door. "Marcus doesn't leave anything but chicken bones."

Ty scribbled, "I'll be right back," on the motel notepad and quietly opened the door. He'd feel damn stupid if he was wrong and she wasn't running. His gut had been firing warnings ever since he'd refused to allow her to go off alone, and she'd given up so easily.

He scanned the parking lot for a place to stand unnoticed. The exterior lights were bright and shadows were hard to find. He was fast running out of time, because if she was going, she'd do it soon. He gave up and pressed himself against the outside wall next to her room.

The click of the lock didn't fill him with satisfaction for being right. It disappointed him. Ana held the door, closing it slowly, trying not to make a sound. Her rookie mistake was being in such a hurry that she failed to check her surroundings.

He was on her before she touched the car key to the lock. He covered her mouth with one hand, caught her by the waist with the other, and pulled her into his chest. God, she was soft in all the right places. His body involuntarily reacted to her pressed against him.

"You trying to run off makes me want to send you back to the US."

 She went limp in his arms. Head lolled forward, her arms dangled loosely at her sides, she'd collapsed. Shit. She'd fainted. He uncovered her mouth and reached to lift her in his arms.

Her foot struck him in the shin. Her elbow landed a solid blow to his rib cage. Half-pissed and half-amused, he spun her and tossed her over his shoulder. "Remember this position?"

"Put me down," she demanded.

"I'm going to smack your ass if you don't stop kicking." She went limp again. "Thank you." He one-handed the doorknob and carried her inside.

"Look who I found trying to sneak off."

"I'm guessing that means the doors stay open from now on." Marcus tossed a bone into the trash. "Let's finish eating so we can go with her."

Ty considered dumping her on the bed, reconsidered and set her on her feet. Her caramel skin had a red hue, and the crimson in her eyes sparkled like wildfires.

"Stop talking about me as if I weren't here." Ana straightened her blouse and then stabbed her hands onto her hips.

"You know that old cliché, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem? Don't be part of the problem. We have a job to do." Marcus, always to the point, proved he did talk when he had something to say.

Then he calmly offered her a drumstick.

She waved off the food and sank down onto a chair. Ty had never seen her look this upset. Through all the disasters and dangers they'd survived, she'd demonstrated a toughness that he respected. She was hurting, and he wanted to pull her into his arms and make her feel better. He wasn't sure that would help.

"I'm not going to help you kill Ortega unless you promise to rescue my family first."

Her tone vibrated with determination. Ty understood she had to believe Lina and Pablo were alive. Her love for them far outweighed her hate for the man who'd killed her birth parents. At least her need for revenge wasn't all-consuming. Her loyalty to them tugged at his gut.

"They both may be dead." As usual, Marcus hadn't sugarcoated his words.

"And they might be alive." Her gaze locked on Ty. "You said you don't kill innocents."

He recoiled at her accusation. "I don't. Not intentionally."

"If they are alive and you go after Ortega, you might as well pull the trigger yourself."

"Nobody said we wouldn't try, only that there might not be anyone to save. Let's go find these friends. You'll have to convince this citizens group to talk with all three of us."

Chapter Fifteen

"I shouldn't have let her go in the house alone." Ty shifted, trying to see movement in the farmhouse.

Built with its back to the Chingaza National Park, the place appeared to be laid out strategically. Open fields surrounded the house and barns. The exterior grounds were well lit with high overhead beams. Easy to defend, too. Maybe an untrained eye wouldn't have noticed that the hayloft door at the top of each barn stood open. High off the ground with good visibility, the position would allow guards to cut down in seconds anybody rushing the house.

"I'm guessing we've got at least two guns on us." Marcus rested his rifle across his thighs, making sure he could move fast if necessary.

"At least. I don't give a damn if there's a dozen. If she's not out in ten minutes, we're going in."

"You call it."

Ty checked his watch every few seconds as time crept by. He'd never allowed his nerves to get the best of him. He inhaled a deep breath and concentrated on taking his mind to a place of peace. Control. Focus. Execute. That was his mantra.

Comfortable he had his shit together, he said, "Thirty seconds."

They stepped out of the car at the same time the front door opened and the openings on each barn filled with sentries each holding a rifle aimed at him and Marcus. Without taking his eyes off Ty and Marcus, the man standing next to Ana held his hand in the air.

Ty relaxed the tight grip on his gun when he and Marcus got the wave to come forward. He glanced up at the hayloft to find the shooters had moved back out of sight, apparently reacting to the guy's hand gesture.

That Ana was smiling dialed the tension in his neck down a notch.

The man stepped off the porch and walked to meet them. He carried himself proudly, head high, and shoulders back. His age was hard to estimate because of the weathered wrinkles surrounding his eyes and mouth. Ty guessed him to be somewhere between fifty and sixty, a little old to fight in some paramilitary organization passing themselves off as a citizens group. Ty recognized authority when he saw it. Ana had come straight to the leader.

"Join us." He offered a handshake to Ty, repeating the process with Marcus.

"Thank you for speaking with us."

Their host nodded. "I prefer not exchanging names. It's safer that way. While there isn't a price on our heads, we'd prefer to remain anonymous."

The man spoke perfect English with only a hint of an accent. He hadn't asked Marcus or Ty to surrender or to put away their weapons. His belief this was a man of importance grew.

"We're not here to cause trouble for you or your group." Ty hoped to establish a bond of trust.  

"But you are here with our government's approval. That alone makes your intentions suspect to us."

"Is it your belief that none of your officials are honest?"

"Not at all." A hint of a smile softened the man's face. "I admit it's hard to tell which ones can be trusted."

The man turned and walked back to where Ana waited. Ty fell in step with him, while the ever-vigilant Marcus stayed a few feet behind.

"Ana Maria told me you saved her life. She also says you can be trusted."

Their host's tone when he referred to Ana drew Ty's attention. He'd spoken in a personal, almost affectionate, manner. "We won't reveal anything you say nor will we put your organization in jeopardy."

"I believe you. More importantly, I believed her." He rested his arm on Ana's shoulder and led them into the house. He cut Ty a glance from the corner of his eye over the top of her head. "Had I not, you and your friend would already be dead."

"Maybe," Marcus, unable to be humble, interjected.

The older man looked even more road-weary in the light, but he had an air about him, a quiet dignity and pride that resonated with Ty.

The interior of the house looked as if it could've come right out of Sears. The leather couch, brass and glass coffee table, and pictures on the fireplace mantel gave it a homey feel.

Ana stood next to their host, her eyes full of hope. "Will you tell us what you know?"

"Of course. I wish we could've done more. Gathering information has been slow."

They followed him into the kitchen, where all but Marcus sat at the table. He stood close enough to see the open map, but his rifle rested across his arm and his gaze took in the entire room.

"Ortega has compounds here and here." Their host marked a dot on each spot. "One is still inoperable due to an explosion, which I hear we have you to thank for ending production at that site."

"It was my pleasure. So you think they might be holding Lina and Pablo at this location?" Ty asked, pointing to the most likely spot on the map.

"No. I have men watching the camp. They're not there."

Ana's chair skidded backward as she stood. "So they're at the destroyed compound?"

"Not there either."

She froze. "Then you haven't located them."

"Sit, Ana Maria. Be still." The man directed her back to the table with a nod. "Ortega is a fiercely secretive person. He maintains a residence a few miles outside of Bogota. We've watched the place for the past few days. His driver is deceptive and hard to follow, but we managed to keep up. Ortega has yet to go to this house."